Surf's Up

Tropical Happy Hour in Hell's Kitchen

After our cocktails at Havana Central, we went over to Reunion. Their happy hour is Mon, Thurs and Fri from 5:30pm to 8:00pm. I would love to check out Taco Tuesday for some great taco deals.

The happy hour deal is great here - drinks are 50% off. Normally $12-$14, they are $6, What an awesome deal in such a great environment! I love the lighting and décor.

Interior Bar

I ordered a Frozen Mojito, the Mermaid! It was phenomenal! I enjoyed it so much I drank it way too quickly. Can you say BRAINFREEZE?!

$6 Frozen Mojito

I love the tongue-in-check signage around the bar. It really adds to the whimsical feel of the space.

#truth

I want to come back here for some food. Watch out Taco Tuesday!

Cheers,

Liz

 

The Best Hour is Happy Hour

$6 Mojito? Yes Please!

Melissa and her friend Dayna were going to catch a Broadway show, If/Then, so we opted to do happy hour in the Theater District. Melissa suggested going to Havana Central (http://havanacentral.com/) since the Mojitos are $6!

Normally, I don't give Mojitos the benefit of the doubt. I'm not the biggest fan of mint in my cocktails. Melissa convinced me to give it a shot and since I trust this lady, I let her be my "spirit" animal, pun intended.

Mojito!

I really enjoyed the cocktail. I loved that it was served with a stick of sugar cane. It absorbs the sweetness of the drink and it compliments the sweetness already in the sugar cane. It is tasty (but messy) to chew on.

I know Times Square can be SCARY but if you happen to find yourself in the area, this is worth your attention.

Cheers,

Liz

 

A Fresh Baked Welcome Back

Best Bagel and Coffee

When my mom and I got back from Ireland, we were too exhausted to go out to eat. Naturally, we ordered Seamless - it is such a luxury to get delicious food delivered to you!

The next morning, we left my apartment (a small victory in itself on these humid days!) to finally go to Best Bagel & Coffee (no website, http://www.yelp.com/biz/best-bagel-and-coffee-new-york). I haven't had a Sausage, Egg & Cheese in a LONG TIME, so that is exactly what I ordered. I got it on an everything bagel - so many seeds and on BOTH SIDES!

Sausage, Egg & Cheese on an Everything Bagel!

I got a large iced coffee (delicious!) and my mom got a Sesame Bagel, toasted with butter. She also loved it!

If you're in Midtown West, the bagels here are delicious - really some of the best I've had in Manhattan.

Cheers,

Liz

 

French? Oui, Oui!

A Lovely Restaurant Amid the HORROR of Times Square

I haven't seen my friend Ann in YEARS and we planned a dinner to catch-up. I wanted to pick a place that would be tasty, not too loud, and near the Port Authority (Ann commutes in from NJ). I did my best to avoid the hellhole of Times Square and found a great French restaurant, Marseille (http://www.marseillenyc.com/). I always appreciate the opinion of fellow Yelpers! to help me find somewhere to eat!

The restaurant has outdoor seating (I chose to avoid it because it can be distracting with all the people walking and cars). The interior reminds me of a French bistro - loved it!

Restaurant Interior

I got to the restaurant a little early and a cocktail caught my attention - Le Pamplemousse. This is a classy reinterpretation of a Greyhound. Made with Absolut Ruby Red Grapefruit Vodka, Campari, Elderflower, Fresh Citrus & Salted Rim. It was DIVINE. The perfect combination of salty and sweet!

Le Pamplemousse

Ann went with the Pomegranate Cocktail, made with Bacardi Silver, Amaretto, and Pomegranate & Pineapple Juice. I tried a sip - tasty but not as good as mine!

Pomegranate Cocktail

After reading reviews, I was pretty sure I would order the Lamb Shank (the signature dish of the restaurant). I changed my mind when the diners next to me said to get the Plat de Juor: Rack of Lamb. I asked our server and he recommended it as well - I was sold! I got it served medium rare - perfection! It was cooked to the exact temp and just lovely. I'm so glad I got it!

Rack of Lamb

Ann ordered the Beef Short Rib "Bourguignon" - she loved it too!

Beef Short Rib "Bourguignon"

We decided to split at dessert and since we both LOVE chocolate, we got the Warm Chocolate Cake. So good!

Warm Chocolate Cake

I really enjoyed this restaurant - especially the cocktails! I look forward to coming back soon!

Cheers,

Liz

 

I live next to Korea(town)

Shilla BBQ for Dinner with Mom!

My mom and I attended an awards ceremony at Stern to support one of my very good friends, Christine. I'm proud of all of her accomplishments and I was glad I could be there to support her!

After the ceremony ended, my mom and I went to Shilla (no website, http://www.yelp.com/biz/shilla-new-york). This is a Korean BBQ joint right by my apartment. I've gone here before with my family and enjoyed it. We walked down 32nd St and looked at several other spots to eat (in the spirit of trying something new!) - but each had ridiculous lines. We were hungry, so Shilla, with no wait, was the clear winner.  

Each time we've come in the past, we've sat on the first floor. I was surprised when they said to walk up to the "third floor" - I didn't even know they had one! The restaurants in Koreatown are so large!

The small dishes of appetizers that came out before the meal (the "banchan") were super tasty! I'm still working on figuring out my camera, but tried it out at dinner - so bear with me!

Korean Banchan

Random pasta salad and kimchi

Sautéed spinach, kimchi pancakes and bean sprouts

My mom and I both love bulgogi. If we wanted to BBQ it ourselves, we would need to order two BBQ entrees. Instead, we ordered the bulgogi on rice in a hot pot. This was a way to have the meat style that we love without ordering a ton of meat!

Bulgogi on Rice

We also orderer the Jap Chae, which is a clear noodle dish with (more!) bulgogi style meat and veggies. Some of the mushrooms in it freaked me out - they are large black mushrooms that are just aggressive. My mom and I both ate around them - it is a texture thing.

Jap Chae

This is a solid Korean joint. I will note that it has a B Health Rating. I saw a place in Koreatown that has a C - how is that possible? Anyway, I've eaten in many Asian restaurants with B health ratings and haven't had an issue ever, just wanted to advise you!

Cheers,

Liz

 

Totto Ramen 2.0

The New Location is Right Next Door to the Original - How Convenient!

I met up with Lauren, a lovely classmate of mine, to catch-up over dinner. Lauren recently moved into a new apartment with her boyfriend, another classmate of mine, in Hell's Kitchen. She suggested a spot right near her place: Totto Ramen (http://tottoramen.com/). This well-known ramen spot recently opened up a second location (464 W 51st St, btw 10th and 9th Ave) right near its first location (366 W 52nd St, btw 9th and 8th Ave). Luckily, the crowds haven't gotten to this new spot just yet, so we were able to get a table at 7pm with no problem.

The Menu! and my finger!

Before we dug into the ramen, we split an order of the pork buns. They were utterly sinful! The pork is melt-in-your-mouth heavenly meat. It is by no means a lean cut of meat. The fat is what makes it so tasty. I'm not normally into aggressive amounts of visible fat (unless it is bacon) but this is something I will welcome with an open mouth. Delicious - a must try if you're here! I thought it was as good as, if not better, than Ippudo.

Char Siu Pork Buns!

For my ramen, I ordered the Miso. It looks a bit odd since a scoop of miso and ground pork sit on the top of the bowl. Don't be scared! Just take your chop sticks and mix it in! I tend to prefer Spicy Miso Ramen, but that wasn't offered. To make my own, I ordered a side of rayu. This is spicy sesame oil. It really adds a depth of flavor and isn't overly spicy. If you haven't tried Miso, I HIGHLY encourage it! Lauren doesn't typically order it, but once she tasted the broth, she is now a converted believer!

Totto Miso Ramen

Also, I used to be scared of the "egg in the soup" thing. Don't be! The egg is perfectly cooked here! The yolk is slight set without being hard or too runny. It has a delicious taste from the soup. Trust me! I was scared too, just go for it.

This is a fantastic ramen spot. If you want to go, you know you have someone willing to join you!

Cheers,

Liz

 

A Battle Through Times Square for Happy Hour!

Gyu-Kaku has Deals all Day!

Recently, I met up with Melissa during the week to take advantage of Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Times Square's Happy Hour (http://gyu-kaku.com/ny/timessquare.htm). This location has Happy Hour for lunch (11:30AM - 3:00PM) and dinner (3:00PM - 6:00PM & 9:30PM - 11:00PM). The drink deal during this time is 50% off select drinks. The meal deal is reduced pricing on most menu items.

I enjoy informative art

We ordered the steamed chili dumplings ($6, normally $8), bistro hanger streak ($5, normally $8), sukiyaki bibimbap ($6, normally $10), and chocolate lava cake ($6, normally $8). With a Yelp! check-in, we each got a free edamame ($4 value). Social media has measurable value people!

Steamed Chili Dumplings

Chocolate Lava Cake

I didn't snap photos of everything, but trust that it was yummy. The Bibimbap arrived in a hot stone pot. It is served with a raw egg and continues to cook. We didn't realize how hot it was and some of the rice started to get too crispy...nearly burnt. Next time, I'll need to make sure to monitor it more closely!

The dessert was super tasty. It didn't have any Asian twist to it (I love the Green Tea one at Spot Dessert Bar) but it was lovely.

I would recommend only visiting this spot if it is during Happy Hour, otherwise it is a bit pricey for what it is.

Cheers,

Liz